[1]TaiZhou University, Department of Chemistry,,China
[2]University of Houston, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics,Houston,United States
[3]TaiZhou University, School of Pharmaceutical and Chemical Engineering,,China
[4]TaiZhou University, Department of Pharmacy & Chemistry,,China
[5]University of Science and Technology of Suzhou, School of Chemistry Biology and Material Engineering,Suzhou,China
[6]Fudan University, Department of Chemistry,Shanghai,China
Diiodoarenes (or dibromoarenes) reacted with diphenols, catalyzed by CuI/Fe(acac)3 in the presence of K2CO3 in anhydrous DMSO at 110°C for 7 days under nitrogen atmosphere, to afford macrocyclic aryl ethers effectively. To expand this methodology, a cyclic hepta(p-phenylene oxide) and cyclic deca(p-phenylene oxide) were synthesized in one pot. Some macrocyclic aryl ethers showed strong fluorescence in acetone at 25°C. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.